Mr Ruto hinted at a possible partnership between tech giant Apple and the country’s most successful mobile transfer channel, M-Pesa.
- “Safaricom is developing a partnership with Apple Inc to integrate M-Pesa and the Apple Pay platform to expand the transaction reach of M-Pesa globally”
- Apple has invested in restoring the degraded savannahs of Kenya.
- Chinese, American, Kenyan, and Colombian forests protected by Apple total one million acres
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As has been the expectation, President William Ruto is out on a route to market the country to investors. Citing Kenya as a technological and innovation hub, Mr Ruto hinted at a possible partnership between tech giant Apple and the country’s most successful mobile transfer channel, M-Pesa. He has been campaigning for the tech giant in several countries, as he is heavily invested in expanding the telco’s reach globally.
“Safaricom is developing a partnership with Apple Inc to integrate M-Pesa and the Apple Pay platform to expand the transaction reach of M-Pesa globally,” said President Ruto.
Kenya- Apple partnership
The partnership between Apple and the government of Kenya is built on more than just M-Pesa. The tech giant has ventured into modeling devices that are carbon-neutral. In the same breath, Kenya plans to launch cheaper, Kenyan-made phones while serving environmental concerns. The president appears to be seeking a technological partnership that will push for a Kenyan-made phone to come true.
This month, Apple recently announced their plan to make their company service delivery more environmentally friendly.
Apple announces carbon-neutral devices.
On 12th September 2023, apple announced their latest models of devices, namely the Apple watches and iPhone 15 devices. The devices, as usual, provided new features, most of which were concurrent with previous leaks over the past few months. Carbon-neutral.
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The first device was the Apple watch series 9, derived from its new S9 chip. It boasts computing power of 5.6 billion transistors, 60% more than series eight, and a 30% faster GPU. Hence, it is much smoother and power efficient than its predecessor.
Apple Watch four-core neural engine for machine-learning tasks
The watch can ping your iPhone using a second-generation ultra-wideband chip that enables the precision finding of your lost phone in both direction and distance, similar to the famous air tags.
Another new feature is the double tap, where users can tap their index finger and thumb twice to perform different tasks such as receiving and rejecting calls, launching apps, snoozing alarms, playing and pausing music, etc. It processes data from the gyroscope, accelerometer, and optical heart sensors to monitor your gestures using its new four-core neural engine for machine learning tasks and a brighter 2000 nits on its edge-to-edge retina display.
The Ultra 2 has 3000 nits peak brightness, and users can dive underwater for up to 40 meters.
The Apple Watch also has an on-device Siri that works without internet connectivity. It uses its powerful processor to give you your needed feedback.
iPhone 15 key features
The iPhone 15 comes packed with an A16 bionic chip and is protected by a ceramic shield.
The screen has a 2000 nits peak brightness and a dynamic island with even more features than its predecessor. It also has a 48mp primary camera with a quad pixel sensor that supports super clear images and up to 4k high dynamic range (HDR) video of up to 6o frames per second. The new iPhone 15 has a 100% recycled cobalt battery.
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iPhone 15 prices
It costs $799 for an iPhone 15 with 128 GB and $899 for an iPhone 15 plus 256 GB. iPhone 15 Pro has an A17 pro chip, a lighter and more durable Titanium design, and a customizable action button to replace the traditional ring-silent switch. All devices will be available in local markets from the 22nd of September, 2023.
However, apple kept insisting on one phrase throughout their presentation on 12th September 2023. “carbon neutral,” especially in the new Apple watches.
Carbon neutrality entails a lot of things. It means that the company targets to get rid of more carbon than they produce. By planting more trees to counter the paper used in packaging materials, the manufacturing firms are upgrading to 100% renewable energy.
On July 21, 2020, apple announced their plan to go carbon neutral by 2030. They began with the iPhone and now have opted to ensure that all their devices follow suit to this mission.
They are among the few companies that highly encourage trade-ins of older devices for the latest models. During the launch of the new devices, they offered up to $1000 valuation in trade-ins of earlier iPhones. Hence, users only have to top up a smaller amount.
Dead iPhones are wholly recycled in aluminum, tungsten, plastic, and steel.
Apple invests in conserving forests.
Additionally, Apple has invested in restoring the degraded savannahs of Kenya.
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Chinese, American, Kenyan, and Colombian forests protected by Apple total one million acres. This, in turn, will aim to eliminate the remaining 25% carbon footprint. According to Apple, the above production measures will solve the initial 75%.
Apple partnered with Conservation International and Komaza, a micro-forestry company in Kenya, to support its mission. They focused on the Chyulu Hills region, surrounded by three national parks in Kenya. This has enabled Apple to declare their latest products 100% carbon neutral.
